The project plans to establish the first ever human settlement on Mars. The habitable settlement will be placed on Mars ready for the settlers when they land. This settlement will be set up so as to support them while they live and work on Mars.

The technical plan for the mission is being kept as simple as possible. Mars One have identified at least one supplier for every component required for the mission.

Only thing is, due to the difficulties involved, there will be no return to Earth for any of the crew. Once settled on Mars, they will remain there for the rest of their lives.

The whole project will be broadcast by the media back home, so that everyone can see their work and their discoveries on Mars. It will be a huge media spectacle.

In 2023, the first crew of 4 astronauts will emigrate to Mars - a journey that will take 7 months.

The Plan:

In 2016, a communications satellite and a supply mission will be sent to Mars.

In 2018, a large planetary rover will be sent which will drive around and find the best location for the site.

In 2020, living units, life support units, a rover and more supplies will be sent to Mars. The rovers will prepare the settlement for human occupation. They will extract the inflatable section from the living unit. The life support unit will prepare the outpost for the arrival of the human crew.

In late 2022, when the settlement is fully operational, the crew will depart in a transit habitat with a lander attached. In April 2023, the humans will land on Mars. "The next giant leap for mankind", says Bas Lansdorp, one of the developers.

A new team will join the settlement every two years. By 2033, they plan for over 20 people to be living and working on Mars.

Artist's representation of a habitation on Mars.

Video screen capture

About the Mars One team:

Mars One is the brainchild of Bas Lansdorp. A born entrepreneur with vision and enthusiasm, Lansdorp has been in touch with the aerospace companies, both experts and researchers, to get their attention and develop a source for their requirements.

Lansdorp has dreamed of a manned mission to Mars for many years. Previous to starting Mars One, he was the co-founder of Ampyx Power. Despite the success of that company, he decided to leave and make his dream come true. A mission to Mars.

Lansdorp has been working with his partner, Arno Wielders, since January 2011. He says, “Our plan to go to Mars has evolved quite a bit since we started. Right now, just about everyone we speak to is amazed by how realistic we have kept it. The next step is introducing the project to the world and securing sponsors and investors.”

His partner, Arno A. Wielders got his masters degree in Physics in 1997 from the Free University of Amsterdam. After he graduated he worked for Leiden Observatory at Dutch Space in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer Delay Line project.

In 1998, Wielders co-founded the Mars Society Nederland, which is part of the international Mars Society, with the aim of supporting and promoting a human mission to Mars.

In 2002, he received his TWAIO (Technisch wetenschappelijk assisten in opleiding) certificate and started work as a research scientist at the Space Department of TNO TPD in Delft, where he was involved in the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) project launched by NASA.

He then founded his own company, Space Horizon, in 2005 and developed the concept of a suborbital spaceport on the Dutch Island of Curacao (Netherlands Antilles).

Wielders says, "The main reasons for participating in Mars One are the need to make mankind a multi-planet species and because it is the most exciting project ever to be undertaken by humans."

Other members of the team include Bryan Versteeg, who has worked for over 20 years in the graphics industry and for the last 15 years has worked as a conceptual artist in the architectural and engineering field.

On the sales and promotion side, Suzanne Flinkenflögel is responsible for the marketing and communications of Mars One. She graduated in 2005 in International Business Communications and Spanish at the University of Nijmegen. Well known for her online marketing and social media knowledge, she is also passionate about web analytics.

An exciting and ambitious project indeed. Let us hope that they succeed.